Adam Sichko in the Albany Business Review reports New York state regulators have cleared Lafarge North America Inc. to modernize its aging cement plant in Ravena. Permits have been issued after months of review, draft reports and public comment periods, all conducted by the state Department of Environmental Conservation. The DEC announced the permits on Thursday. Lafarge says up to 800 workers wil be involved in the construction there, costing a few hundred million dollars. John Reagan, environmental manager for the Ravena plant, told the Business Review he expects Lafarge to break ground this fall. Lafarge calculates the construction project will generate $170 million in wages for construction workers, purchases from local supplies, and other spending. “Environmental watchdog groups and other interest groups have criticized Lafarge’s pollution in the past. Federal data show Lafarge had the fifth-largest mercury emissions of any site in New York in 2009, in any industry,” Sichko writes. and then quotes New York DEC commissioner Joseph Martens saying, “Lafarge has demonstrated its commitment to some of the most rigorous environmental standards in the country. In addition, this new facility will ensure a continued local supply of a critical building material.” Read the full story in the Business Review.
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Tags: business, DEC, environment, jobs, Joseph Martens, Lafarge
Prisons close, but not here
Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the closing of seven state prisons on Thursday, June 30, and none of the closures were in Greene or Columbia counties. Announced for closure are four minimum-security facilities for men: Buffalo Work Release in Erie County, Camp Georgetown in Madison County, Summit Shock in Schoharie County and Fulton Work Release in Bronx County, and three medium-security facilities for men: Arthur Kill in Richmond County, Mid-Orange in Orange County, and Oneida in Oneida County. Those working at the facilities new such cuts were coming, and they came in the order of 3,800 beds, but not facilities in Coxsackie or Hudson. “The closings of these facilities not only will force “double bunking,” which puts two dangerous criminals in a space designed for one, it will greatly reduce the “step-down” treatment of inmates,” said New York State Public Employees Federation President Ken Brynien.
Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk superintendent resigns after two years
Carol DeMare in the Albany Times-Union reports that Daniel A. Teplesky, superintendent of Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk Central School District for the last two years, is moving to the Monticello School District in Sullivan County effective Aug. 1. A district press release said that Teplesky steered the district “through unprecedented fiscal pressures” faced by the district “as a result of historic reductions in state aid and a weak economy,” DeMare writes. “I’m proud of the work we have accomplished during the past two years in preparing for the state’s more rigorous learning standards and improving student achievement,” Teplesky said in the article. Read the full story in the Albany Times-Union.
Here comes the boss?
Diane Valden in The Columbia Paper reports that the Columbia County Manager Initiative Subcommittee’s 36-page report, “The Case for a County Manager,” released last week (and available online) makes the case that someone should bottom-line the county’s $150 million budget, its 1,000 employees, the 300 retirees it supports, its 28 operating departments and the four unions it negotiates with on a full-time basis. Supervisor Art Bassin (D-Ancram) served on the subcommittee and told Valden on Tuesday that the committee’s research “led to the conclusion that this county is not well managed.” Twenty-three part-time town supervisors are managing a $150 million annual budget and “it’s not being done very well,” he said. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.
Empire State Baseball League
13U Coxsackie Owlz 6 – Clifton Park 1
Justin Maldonado threw a complete-game four-hitter to lead the 13U Coxsackie Owlz (10-1, 12-3) over Clifton Park 6-1 on Thursday, June 30. Maldonado allowed one unearned run while walking three and striking out tenand went 2-2 at bat with 2 RBIs. The 13U Owlz finished the regular season tied for second place.
Tags: Art Bassin, Columbia County Manager, Daniel A. Teplesky, education, fracking, hydraulic fracturing, Natural Gas, prisons, schools
No news on same-sex marriage bill
The New York State Senate adjourned around 11 p.m. Thursday night without taking a vote on same-sex marriage. They are coming back Friday to complete several other bills, but there is no firm word whether Senate Republicans will allow a vote on the same-sex marriage bill, or whether there one more Senate Republican will vote for the bill, if it comes to a vote.
Columbia-Greene Community College seeks tuition hike
Kyle Wind in The Daily Freeman reports that Columbia-Greene Community College’s proposed $16.25 million budget for 2011-12 would raise full-time tuition 5.6 percent. College president James Campion told the newspaper that the budget would raise tuition for full-time students by $192 per year, to $3,648, and by $8 per credit hour for part-time students, to $152 per credit hour. The school would not fill some now-empty faculty positions and use cheaper adjunct and part-time faculty to balance state cuts and no increase in contributions from Greene and Columbia counties. Read the entire story in The Daily Freeman.
Zoom Flume opens wave pool
Durham’s Zoom Flume water park holds a grand opening at noon today, Fri., June 24 for its new “Riptide Cove” wave pool. Assemblyman Pete Lopez was going to be among the speakers at the opening, but the legislature remains in session today. Zoom Flume is located at 10 Shady Glen Road in East Durham. In other water fun news, Melanie Lekocevic reports in The Greene County News that the Athens Pool reopens for the season today, Fri. June 24. You have to be a member or pay a day rate to visit the kiddie pool with a slide, and the full-sized pool with both a shallow and deep end, and a diving board.
Hudson Democrats realign
Hudson Democrats reconfigured their endorsements this week, after City Treasurer Eileen Halloran announced last week that she will seek reelection after first suggesting otherwise. Common Council President Don Moore will now, instead of running for treasurer, attempt to retain his seat and Sarah Sterling who had previously been endorsed for Common Council President, now seeks the 1st Ward Supervisor spot. Nick Haddad remains the Democrats choice for Mayor, and Dave Marston and Larissa Thomas are trying to be 1st Ward Aldermen.
Roemer to run for Supreme Court justice
The Register Star reports that Guy Roemer, a private practice attorney from Albany County, is running for New York State Supreme Court in the Third Judicial District representing Albany, Rensselaer, Columbia, Greene, Schoharie, Ulster, and Sullivan counties. He claimes the support of former Albany County Republican Chairmen Peter Kermani and John Graziano, Sr. and current Chairman Don Clarey. Recently, Roemer served as the Principal Court Attorney to the Honorable George J. Pulver in Greene County, preparing and researching decisions. Read the full story in the Register-Star.
Tags: Columbia-Greene Community College, Don Moore, Elieen Halloran, Guy Roemer, James Campion, Sarah Sterling, Zoom Flume
On heels of a defeat at the polls, district budget goes to a revote
Hilary Hawke in the Ravena News-Herald reports that voters in the Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk school district return to the polls today to decide on a new budget. Voters rejected a budget with a 3.39 percent tax levy increase on May 17, and the budget up for approval today pares that down to a 2.5 percent increase, a cut of $100,000 in spending. If voters reject the budget, a contigency budget with a 2.5 percent contingency budget increase goes into effect, so the vote today is largely symbolic. Only a half dozen residents June 13 budget hearing about the budget, which board members Tracey Traver, Jeff Sorensen, Chris Pennock and Josephine O’Connor did not attend. The vote today is from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. at RCS High School. Read the entire story in The Ravena News-Herald.
C-GCC passes budget with 5.6% tuition hike
Doron Tyler Antrim in The Daily Mail reports that Monday June 20 Columbia-Greene Community College Board of Trustees unanimously approved a $16.25 million budget for the 2011-2012 school year, a $450,000 increase. , The budget includes a 5.6 percent tuition increase, $96. No staff cuts were needed. “Student enrollment, which was at an all-time high last fall at about 2,000, is expected to decline slightly this September as the number of graduates from area high schools decreases,” Antrim writes. Read the entire story in The Daily Mail.
Higher rent subsidies sought
John Mason in the Register-Star reports that Columbia County Social Services Commissioner Paul Mossman wants to increase rent subsidies for persons in the Safety Net Program, which he says will save about $1 million a year. The program provides rent assistance to single individuals and childless couples, with the typical shelter allowance for a single person $191; Mossman asked for an increase to $511. For a childless couple, the allowance is $221, and he asked to up it to $541. “We want to take Safety Net individuals and locate more permanent housing,” Mossman told the Human Services Committee last Wed. June 15. The state Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance has approved Mossman’s request; it needs approval from the state Division of the Budget, Mason reports. The department has budgeted 43 people in this category, though currently the number of homeless in the program is down to 38. Mossman says much more would be saved through if individuals could be moved into apartments and out of hotel rooms, which can cost around $2,100 a month. Read the full story in the Register-Star.
Powerboat wins Hudson majors title
The Register-Star reports that Derek DeLamater tossed a no-hitter for Powerboat’s 12-1 victory Monday, June 20 to complete a two-game sweep of S&F Technologies Monday to win the Hudson Little League majors championship for the second year in a row. Powerboat previously downed S&F 14-4 on Thursday, and Monday’s game was a mercy-rule shortened four innings. DeLamater struck out 10 batters and walked two, and hit a three-run homer, a double, and a single. Powerboat finished the season with a 16-2 record. Last week Hudson Little League announced its 2011 All-Stars rosters. The 9-10-year-old squad, managed by Joe Cefaliello, includes Matthew Cowan, Lavon Fernandez, Chris Gardener, Maison Goldstien, Charles Goodermote, Dayquan Griffin, Ben Huston, Hakeem Martin, Jackson Moon, Patrick Spencer, Mark Tomaso and Corey Topple. The 10-11 team, managed by Bill Glasser, includes Gabrielle Barrientos, Tyler Bleau, Stephen Bowes, Antonio Fisher, A.J. Glasser, Michael Green, Chris Keator, Connor McCagg, Chris Meano, Ethan Peters, Stephen Renault and Zach Wilburn. The 11-12 team, managed by Chip Moon, includes Jordan Bain, Jeremy Cramer, Derek DeLamater, Tyler Drahushuk, Daniel Folds, Connor Graziano, Joshua Moon, Jeremy Ramirez, Joshua Ramirez, Jacob Rivette, Matthew Sweet and Willie Walker. Read the entire report in The Register-Star.
Tags: Columbia-Greene Community College, education, homeless, Hudson Little League, Little League, Paul Mossman, schools, youth
State Senator Steve Saland with Hudson school Superintendent Jack Howe at the Hudson Children's Book Festival. Photo from Saland's website.
Nicholas Confessore and Danny Hakim in The New York Times say New York State Senator Steve Saland, the lawmaker who represents Columbia County, “has not decided whether to allow a vote on legislation that would legalize same-sex marriage in New York State.” The Times says Saland, along with Senator Andrew J. Lanza of Staten Island and Senator Kemp Hannon of Long Island, met with Governor Andrew Cuomo about their concerns, “that churches and other religious institutions that do not approve of gay marriage could face legal challenges or regulatory conflicts if same-sex marriage is legalized.” Currently 31 of a necessary 32 state senators have publicly said they will vote for the bill, which passed the State Assembly Wed. June 15, and will be signed by Cuomo and made law if one more Republican senator changes his position. All week, Senators have said they expect a vote on Friday. Read the full story in The New York Times.
Lafarge updates planning board on modernization project
Hilary Hawke in The Ravena News-Herald reports that Lafarge representatives Senior Project Manager John Light, Engineering Manager Marc Desimon, Environmental Manager John Reagan and Plant Manager Martin Turecky met the Town of Coeymans planning board recently, with an artist’s rendering of the cement plant proposed modernization plan. Reagan said Lafarge “was not quite ready” to apply for building permits. “We have been working on this for three years,” Reagan said. “We have held informational sessions, public meetings, undergone a public comment period and taken part in the DEC legislative hearing.” Hawke writes that the Environmental Protection Agency is expected to submit comments to the DEC within the next few weeks and DEC will then issue a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS). “We want to know about the landscaping,” said Planning Board member Joe Kapusta told the Lafarge representatives. “We want an up-to-date, state-of-the art plant,” Board member Buddy Irwin said, “but we also want attention paid to the appearance of the Route 9W corridor.” Hawke also reports that Callanan Industries, a supplier of paving materials and construction services just west of Lafarge, will be move out during construction of the new Lafarge plant. “It is not clear if they will reoccupy the premises once the modernization is completed sometime in 2014.” Hawke reports that the redone plant’s production will increase from roughly 1.7 million tons to 2.8 million tons each year. “Reagan said the modernization project will create roughly 800 construction jobs and once completed the new plant will employ the roughly the same number of workers as now, 180.” Read the entire story in The Ravena News-Herald.
Rodgers arrested
Carole Osterink in The Gossips of Rivertown blog reported two days before anyone else that Tim Rodgers, one-time candidate for alderman in the First Ward, was arrested Wednesday at his SEIU office on Warren Street by the Hudson Police Department and charged with a misdemeanor for filing a false document. Current First Ward alderman Geeta Cheddie’s complained to police after Rodgers signed applied to become a commissioner of deeds, citing a home address of 15 Allen Street, a building where he says he expected to be leasing an apartment. But the agreement with the building’s owner fell through, and Cheddie filed the complaint. Rodgers, was endorsed by the Hudson Democratic Committee as a candidate for First Ward alderman, an endorsement Osterink says Cheddie sought, recently withdrew from the race (David Marston is the new Democratic candidate). Last week, it was announced that Cheddie has been endorsed by the Republicans. Rodgers was arraigned Wednesday before Judge Richard Koweek, who says he will recuse himself from the case, since he was recently endorsed by the Democrats for another position. Rodgers was released on his own recognizance and will appear again on July 6 before Judge Mark Portin. Jamie Larson in the Register-Star adds this detail: After the arraignment, Rodgers was stopped on Warren Street and arrested again by HPD for driving with a suspended license. Read the entire story in The Gossips of Rivertown.
It’s Copake’s time to chime
Kelly Criscione writes in the Times Union Copake residents raised $42,000 in less than a year to restore the town clock and war memorial. The clock, created after the death of World War II soldier and Copake native Steven McIntyre, originally cost $2,600, when built in the 1940s. The memorial, that now once again chimes on the hour, contains the names of 168 Copake veterans from the first and second world wars, and its image is used on town letterhead, police uniforms, and the Copake flag. Read the entire story in the Albany Times-Union.
Town unveils new design for rehabbed senior center
Melanie Lekocevic in the Greene County News reports that the Town of Coxsackie Mon. June 13 unveiled plans to refurbish the Coxsackie Senior Center that is in the former Knights of Columbus building on Mansion Street. The the town purchased the building last year with a $150,000 grant through former Assemblyman Tim Gordon’s office, and the renovations are covered by a $400,000 grant from the New York State Office of Community Renewal, Division of Housing. The plan includes upgrades of the plumbing, heating and electrical systems, switching from oil heat to natural gas. If money is left over from the grant, the town may add pathways from McQuade Park. Construction is expected to take about four months, and the town is considering the fire department, and the QWL building off Rte. 9W for temporary programming during construction. Read the Greene County News for the full story.
Empire State Baseball League scores
Thursday: 13U Coxsackie Owlz – 10 Schenectady #1 – 2
The 13U Coxsackie Owlz (4-1, 5-2) overwhelmed Schenectady #1 on Thursday 10-2. Seaver Martin and Elliott Palmateer each went 3-4 with a double and 2 RBIs, to lead the Owlz with Kyle Roberts adding two hits and pitching for the win with relief help from Chris Zwoboda. Roberts went 5 2/3 innings giving up two runs, one earned on four hits, two walks and nine strike outs. Zwoboda finished the game giving up a hit and one walk while striking out three.
Tags: Coxsackie Owlz, Coxsackie Senior Center, Geeta Cheddie, Lafarge, same-sex marriage, Steve Saland, Timothy Rodgers
McDonald is 31st vote for same-sex marriage
Jimmy Vielkind in Capitol Confidential reports that Tuesday New York State Senator Roy McDonald, R-Saratoga, told the Times Union that he will vote for a bill legalizing same-sex marriage in the state, becoming the 31st senator to say they will vote for the bill. It needs 32 votes to pass. “I’m trying to do the right thing,” he said. “Rather than wait I worked with the governor…I’m not out to alienate anybody…. It’s my own evolution…. I think there’s going to be a vote on Friday.” He voted against the bill in the Senate in 2009 and in the Assembly in 2007. The Conservative Party says it will pull its endorsement from any senator that votes to legalize same-sex marriage. McDonald has run on the party’s line in the past. Read the full story in Capitol Confidential, the Times-Union’s political blog.
A Resolution to Oppose
Carole Osterink reports in The Gossips of Rivertown from Monday’s Hudson Common Council meeting, and captures the the essence of the discussion about a proposed resolution opposing Columbia County’s efforts to moving many social services to the former Wal-Mart building in Greenport. She reports:
• Fourth Ward Supervisor Bill Hughes alleged that the county is “in a feverish rush and cutting corners” because “they didn’t notify Concra that they wanted to extend the lease” on 25 Railroad Avenue and are now desperate to relocate the Department of Social Services as soon as possible and that the building, “has a fifteen-year life expectancy, and it’s now seventeen years old.” He also said that the $16 million cost to buy the building and convert it represents a 1.7 percent increase in the tax levy and if the proposed two percent tax cap goes into effect, it would leave only an additional .3 percent to meet the county’s rising costs.
• First Ward Alderman Geeta Cheddie said the move would, “free up some pretty nice buildings in Hudson.”
• Third Ward Alderman Ellen Thurston said that the current lack of adequate transportation to the site was a weak argument against the move because “it can be corrected.”
• Fifth Ward Alderman Robert “Doc” Donahue said, “We’re all going to vote yes, so why all this rhetoric?”
The council will vote on the resolution Tuesday, June 21, and the Walmart purchase comes before the Columbia County Board of Supervisors on July 11. Read the entire story in The Gossips of Rivertown.
Power line clears another NY hurdle
Jim Planck in The Daily Mail reports that the proposed 330-mile power line “Champlain-Hudson Power Express” from Canada to New York City, much of it in the Hudson River, was approved by the Department of State. Many other agencies must also sign off on the project, but the DOS ruled the project is consistent with the state’s coastal policies. DOS did mandate several changes, Planck reports, including the depth the cables are buried in the riverbed, how the line enters or leaves the water, the path in the river, and when the construction seasons will be performed, if Transmission Developers, Inc. updates all the project’s federal permit filings by July 8. The proposed line will re-enter the water three miles north of Coeymans, with the project’s original routing showing it near the middle of the river until just north of Coeymans, where it runs along the east shore until past New Baltimore. It then moves closer to the western shore past Catskill, except for a to get around Rattlesnake and Coxsackie islands. Just before Smith’s Landing in Catskill, it moves back to mid-river and stays there until well past the southern end of Columbia County. Read the entire story in The Daily Mail.
Empire State Baseball League results
14U Coxsackie Owlz 8 – Bethlehem Bosox 7
14U Coxsackie Owlz 11 – Bethlehem Bosox 3
In the first game of a doubleheader sweep for the 14U Coxsackie Owlz (4-4), the Owlz open up a 7-0 lead and hold on for an 8-7 victory over the Bethlehem Bosox. Leading the way for the Owlz was Brian Ellis going 1-4 with a double and 2 RBI’s. Also Elliott Palmateer and Dylan Donovan each were 1-3 with an RBI. Sam Palmateer 1-1 and Zach Muller 1-4. Taylor LeClair gave up 3 hits and struck out five over 5 innings to earn the win. Muller got the final six outs to pick up a save. In the second game the Owlz pounded out 11 hits while beating the Bosox 11-3. Ben Palmateer lead the way this time going 3-3 with a double. Kyle Roberts 1-2 with a 2-run double. Matt McDonald 1-3 with 2 RBI’s. Seaver Martin 1-4 with an RBI double. Sean O’Connor 1-1 with an RBI. LeClair 2-3. Donovan was 1-2 with an RBI and Sam Palmateer 1-4 with an RBI. Zach Girvin went 6 innings to get the win giving up 6 hits with 3 strike outs. Muller closed out the final inning giving up 1 hit with 1 strike out.
Morning scores
New York Mets 4
Atlanta Braves 3
Texas Rangers 4
New York Yankees 12
Boston Red Sox 0
Tampa Bay Rays 4
Wednesday audio clips
Click on the top line of each to play mp3 interview.
• Suhrawardi Gebel interview about Summer Meditation Camp at Abode of the Message in New Lebanon.
Interview by Richard Roth, Ann Forbes Cooper, and Tom Roe on WGXC Afternoon Show. Abode of the Message is a residential commune of the Sufi Order International.
• David Paulson interview about art show “7 New York Painters” at BRIK Gallery.
Interview by Ann Forbes Cooper and Richard Roth on WGXC Afternoon Show. The art show Paulson put together opens at BRIK Gallery in Catskill Sat. June 18 at 6 p.m.
• Dina Bursztyn from The Open Studio Catskill talks about her new children’s book “The Land of Lost Things.”
Interview by Ann Forbes Cooper and Richard Roth. Interview of Argentinian artist who now lives in Catskill. Her book is in both Spanish and English.
Tags: Bill Hughes, Champlain-Hudson Power Express, Col. Cty. DSS, Columbia County Board of Supervisors, Coxsackie Owlz, DSS, Ellen Thurston, Geeta Cheddie, Hudson River, Robert Donahue, Roy McDonald, same-sex marriage, Wal-Mart
The New York State Department of Labor released unemployment figures for April on Tue. May 24 that show joblessness fell in both Greene and Columbia counties, as well as Ulster, Dutchess, and the Capitol Region. In Greene County, the unemployment rated was 8.6 percent, down from 8.8 percent last month and a year ago. In Columbia County, the rate was 7.3 percent, down from 7.9 percent in March and down from 7.5 percent a year ago. In Ulster the rate was 7.7 percent, and Dutchess it was 7.3 percent, down from 8.1 and 7.7 a month ago, respectively. The Capitol Region (Albany, Schenectady, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schoharie counties) fell to 6.8 percent, the lowest in two years, and down from 7.2 percent last month, and 7.1 percent last year. Looking closely at the numbers, there were fewer employed as well as fewer unemployed in Greene County in April. Now, only 20,900 roughly are employed, where in March there were 21,600 jobs, and a year ago 21,400. In Columbia County the number of employed rose slightly to 27,500 from 27,300 in March, but down from 28,500 jobs a year ago.
Tags: jobs, unemployment
Fiske declared winner of 3rd open board seat
Jim Planck in The Daily Mail reports that William Fiske was indeed elected to the Catskill School Board Tuesday. Fiske was leading Ward Osborn by six votes at the end of election night, with 14 affidavit ballots (the voter was not on the district’s voter registration roll, but cast a provisional ballot) left for the Greene County Board of Elections to sort out. Wed. May 18, they ruled eight valid, and counted those with these results: Karen Haas, went from 578 votes to 582, Michael Maloney increased five from 511 votes to 516, Fiske went from 490 to 494, and Osborn also added five votes from 484 to 489. So Fiske remains the winner. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.
Cool, wet Spring raises potential for late blight in tomatoes, potatoes
New York State Agriculture Commissioner Darrel J. Aubertine warned gardeners and growers Wed. May 18 that the never-ending rain this Spring makes conditions ripe for late blight. Late blight is a plant disease that spreads rapidly from plant to plant in wet, cool weather and causes tomato and potato plants, primarily, to wilt and die. “The exceptionally cool, damp spring we are experiencing throughout New York State this year heightens our concern for late blight,” Aubertine said in a press release. “We saw the devastation it can do to a tomato crop in 2009, and we have already received reports of early late blight detection in neighboring states. Therefore, we want to remind our growers of this possible plant disease and alert them of the precautions they can take and how we, as a regulatory agency, are working to protect our plants.” More than 150,000 tomato plants have been inspected in New York this year with no signs of late blight detected, according to Aubertine’s press release.
Columbia County DA confirms candidacy for County Judge
WNYT reports District Attorney Beth Cozzolino confirms she is running for Columbia County Judge, which fellow Republican Paul Czajka vacated last week. He announced he was running for Cozzolino’s job; a job he held for seven years before being elected judge in 1994. Cozzolino became DA in 1995.
Farm bill update
On Wed. May 18, New York State Agriculture Commissioner Darrel J. Aubertine announced updates on his series of Farm Bill work groups and changes to two previously announced sessions – the commodities and nutrition titles. Since late April, the Commissioner has been hosting a number of discussions with stakeholders to help identify and prioritize New York’s areas of concern and interest with the upcoming 2012 Federal Farm Bill. The Federal Farm Bill is negotiated every six years and sets the parameters for America’s agriculture, nutrition, forestry and conservation policies and affects New York’s 36,000 farm families in the dairy, apple, vegetable, and wine industries.
Friday, May 20, 2011 – Commodities Title (including Milk Pricing)
This session will meet from 10 a.m. to noon. During that time, invited stakeholders will have an opportunity to present, which will then be openly discussed with a panel of subject-matter experts. Members of the public may also participate and may submit written questions during the session in the Bistro of the Arts and Home Building at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse.
Friday, May 27, 2011 – Nutrition Title
There will be two sessions to cover the wide range of nutrition provisions included in the Farm Bill. Panel member and invited stakeholder discussions will address, but are not limited to, the following topics. Members of the public may also participate and may submit written questions during the sessions in the Bistro of the Arts and Home Building at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse.
• Morning Session – 10 a.m. to noon – food stamps and food distribution program issues, community food security grants
• Afternoon Session – 1 to 3 p.m. – fruit and vegetable promotion, farmers’ markets and community programs, school meal issues
Sessions are open to the public, RSVP by calling 518-457-8876. The information gathered at the sessions will be compiled into a working document that the Commissioner will use to communicate New York’s positions on federal agriculture policy.
Tags: agriculture, bear hunting, bears, Beth Cozzolino, black bears, Darrel J. Aubertine, DEC, farm, farm bill, farms, Federal Farm Bill, hunting, Karen Haas, late blight, Michael Maloney, Paul Czajka, Ward Osborn, Wayne Speenburgh, William Fiske
Holcim pays $423K in fines
Doron Tyler Antrim in The Daily Mail reports that the Holcim cement plant’s $423,000 bill for 311 citations there since 2008 have been paid, according to records from the Mine Safety and Health Administration. The international cement company is contesting $2,800 in fines, over that period, but has paid the rest. Antrim’s story details the many infractions at the Catskill plant over the past three years. “Safety is our number one priority at Holcim,” Bernard Terver, the company’s president and chief executive, is quoted in the story in announcing last year the completion of the first company-wide safety month. “We continually emphasize the importance of safe behavior and strive to develop a mindset and culture focused on safety.” Two months ago, Holcim announced the plant closes June 13, “although the terminal will remain open for remaining customers,” Antrim writes. Read the complete story in The Daily Mail.
Bike shop on Main Street opens
Doron Tyler Antrim profiles Catskill Cycles in The Daily Mail. The bicycle shop opened at at 347 Main St. this past weekend. Bryan Hunter, a former park ranger with the National Park Service, opened the sales and repair shop with mountain and road bikes, hybrids and folding bikes. Hunter is also considering a rental program, according to the story. Catskill Cycles is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Read the whole story in The Daily Mail.
Furlong’s latest closure in East Durham
Furlong’s bar in East Durham announced on its Facebook page this week that it is closing. “We would like to Thank All Our Friends & Patrons who have supported us for the last 24 yrs at Furlong’s Pub and Motel in E. Durham, NY. Due to family health issues, we regret to inform you that we will not be re-opening Furlong’s,” the announcement said. “We will be listing Furlongs for sale. Thank you all for the fond memories, fun, music, & laughter. Those memories we will always treasure. All the Best! Sincerely,Tom & Yvonne Furlong.” The bar hosted some performances during Irish Arts Week in East Durham each year. Recently, the Irish American Heritage Museum left East Durham for Albany.
Old Chatham Post Office faces possible closure
Paul Crossman in the Register-Star reports how some closures can affect a town’s personality. Residents in Chatham, he reports are worried because the postal officials are considering closing the Old Chatham post office. Locals are worried that Old Chatham, if it loses its address and zip code in the future, might lose its identity. “There is a good chance it could close, but there is an equal chance it could not,” Post Office Operations Manager Eric Tiemann told a crowd of nearly 50 people at Chatham Town Hall last Tuesday evening. Crossman says the United States Postal Service is considering closing the Old Chatham office because they are, “currently without a postmaster and that any post office without one — and any post office with their lease running out — was part of the study. He explained that the USPS had ordered a hiring and promoting freeze for just this reason, so that they could begin deciding which post offices should be closed,” Crossman writes. Read his whole story in the Register-Star.
2011-12 proposed school budgets
WNYT NewsChannel 13 lists many of the 2011-2012 regional school budgets, which will be voted on May 17.
Some local examples:
Cairo-Durham Central School District: $27.2 million, 3.45% tax levy increase, no field trips, no new technology purchases, but sports and academics remain untouched
Catskill Central School District: $37.2 million, 1.14% tax levy increase
Chatham Central School District: $27.1 million, 1.98% tax levy increase, two bus runs eliminated
Coxsackie-Athens Central School District: $25 million, 2.92% tax levy increase
Germantown Central School District: $13.9 million, 2% tax rate increase
Hudson City School District: $41.2 million, 9.8% tax levy increase
Hunter-Tannersville Central School District: $13.2 million, 1.49% tax levy increase
Ichabod Crane Central School: $33.8 million, 3.98% tax levy increase
New Lebanon Central School District: $12.4 million, 0% tax levy increase
Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk Central School District: $42.5 million, 3.39% tax levy increase, uses $500,000 from reserves
Taconic Hills Central School District: $33 million, 2.78% tax levy increase
Windham-Ashland-Jewett Central School: $10.6 million, 1.73% tax levy increase, uses $250,000 from fund balance.
Compare all the budgets at WNYT.
Tags: Catskill Cycles, Furlong's, Holcim, post office closings, rural post offices, school budgets
Former Irish Museum to host summer events
Michael Ryan in the Windham Journal reports the Michael J. Quill Irish Cultural & Sports Centre (ICSC) in East Durham will replace the recently departed Irish Heritage Cultural Museum there with a lineup of concerts and other events this summer. The special events include a concert from singer Ronan Tynan on July 23, fireworks on July 2, a farmer’s market and flea market in July and August, and telecasts of Gaelic football in September. A few weeks ago, the Irish Heritage Cultural Museum announced it was leaving East Durham for Albany. Read the whole story in the Windham Journal.
Town imposes spending freeze
Hilary Hawke in The Ravena News-Herald reports the Town of Coeymans passed a spending freeze on all town departments at a recent board meeting. Town Supervisor Jim Youmans blames a $212,000 deficit on census figures, which show the town lost 733 residents between 2000 and 2010. “Albany County notified the town about the projected decrease in sales tax revenue distribution based on the 2010 census numbers,” Youmans said in the weekly newspaper. “$212,000 represents a big chunk of our revenues for the year.” Read the entire story in The Ravena News-Herald.
Space360 applies for liquor license
The Daily Mail Public Notices say that, “360 Warren Street, LLC (DBA – Space 360) applied for a license to sell beer, wine and liquor at retail in a catering establishment under the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law at 360 Warren Street, Hudson, Columbia County, for on premises consumption.”
Hudson Farmer's Market Flag Day entry 2008, from Hudson Farmer's Market website.
The Hudson Farmer’s Market returns to the parking lot at the corner of 6th and Columbia Sts. Saturday at 9 a.m. and runs weekly through Nov. 19. There won’t be quite as many vendors until June, and this season’s vendors include: Berkshire Mountian Bakery; Blue Star Farm; Cedar Flower Farm; Coach Farm Dairy; Crosswinds Farm; Don Baker Fruit Farm; Good Fight Herb Co.; Flowering Heart Farm; Fog & Thistle Farm; Herb’s Greenhouse; Hudson-Chatham Winery; Hudson Valley Homestead; Loaf; Maple Bee Farm; Martin Farm; Milt’s Coffee; Muffins and More/Perfecto Pesto; Northern Star Farm; Pigasso Farm; The Red Barn; Red Oak Farm; Running Creek Farm Greenhouses; Samascott; Scarecrow Farm’ The Farm at Miller’s Crossing; Tierra Farm; and Triform Gardens.
Owners re-build Blackthorn Resort
WTEN in Albany reports that eight months after the Blackthorn Resort in East Durham burned down from a propane leak, it has rebuilt in time for the summer tourist season. “Right after the fire, it was unbelievable how many couples would come by and tell us stories of how they met here 50 years ago,” says Jennifer Handel, of the family that owns the resort. “We said, how do you not put this building back up?” The video above is also from WTEN.
Tags: Blackthorn Resort, Hudson Farmers Market, Irish Heritage Cultural Museum, local video, Michael J. Quill Irish Cultural & Sports Centre
Hannaford likely to build when ice cream season ends
Debra Gilbert of The Columbia Paper has an update on the Hannaford supermarket planned for the town of Livingston, that that the company’s site engineer has received approval for the subdivision of an adjacent piece of property in order to add land for parking and other needs where Routes 82 and 9 meet. A state environmental quality review was put off until May, but Hannaford has heard from the state Department of Transportation, which called for left turn lanes to be added to the highways near exits. Delays in the permitting process mean that construction is not expected to begin until August allowing Happy Clown, the property’s current occupant, to stay in business through the summer.
Albany area’s unemployment drops to 7.2%
Adam Sichko of the Albany Business Review writes that new state data reveals that the core Capital Region has an unemployment rate of 7.2 percent, the second-smallest of 11 upstate metro areas. That’s 0.5 percentage points lower than it was a year ago, and below both the statewide unemployment rate (8 percent) and the national rate (9.2 percent). Only the much smaller Ithaca market had a smaller rate among upstate markets, at 5.4 percent.
New market coming to city
Jamie Larson writes in the Register-Star that a new outdoor market will be coming to Warren Street in Hudson starting May 21. Held in the lot in front of the 3FortySeven eclectic furniture and lighting emporium, at 347 Warren St., booth rentals will be open to “any who want to fill the visible space in the center of the city.” “I wanted to have the space filled,” said 3FortySeven manager Giovanni di Mola, who added that he does not see it as competition for the Hudson Farmer’s Market, opening May 7, as it will have vendors offering a wide range of products, and not just food.
Study: States’ revenues up, localities lagging
Casey Seiler of the Times Union reports that a new State Revenue Report from the Rockefeller Institute is showing strong finances for the state now, but sagging outlooks for towns and counties. The report found state tax revenues grew by 7.8 percent in the final quarter of 2010 compared to the same quarter of 2009, in line with 42 other states experiencing similar income growth. Local tax revenues, however, have experienced the reverse trend with tax collections by local governments declining by 2.3 percent in the fourth quarter of 2010, mostly driven by declines in property tax collections.
Tags: 3FortySeven, Giovanni di Mola, Hannaford, Happy Clown, Hudson Farmers Market, outdoor market, property tax, Rockefeller Institute, State Revenue Report, unemployment rates
TH approves tax levy hike of 2.78 %
John Mason of the Register-Star reports that the Taconic Hills Board of Education this week approved a $32.6 million budget that represents a 1.92 percent increase in spending and a 2.78 percent hike in the tax levy for the coming year. The increase was the same as would be implemented should the budget vote fail and the district was forced to a contingency plan. $450,000 will be taken out of the district’s Employee Retirement System reserve and $150,000 out of an Unemployment Reserve. Another $650,000 would come from funding current positions through Title One grants. More savings have to be found to match cuts in the budget, which superintendent Mark Sposato said would likely include music, art or technology, leaving elementary school and basic high school classes intact. There was some worry, during the vote, about past teacher salary negotiations and deals, as well as the district having a lesser graduating rate than nearby Chatham School District.
Group celebrates Grange Week 2011
Hilary Hawke has a story in the Ravena News-Herald about the upcoming National Grange Week from April 16 through 22, and how the local Ravena Grange will be holding a kick-off chicken and biscuits dinner on April 16 beginning at 4:30 p.m. at the Grange Hall on Route 143 in Coeymans Hollow. An open house and awards ceremony on April 18 will feature presentations of the Grange Community Citizen Award and Granger of the Year. “During Grange Week we want our community to know the Grange is a living organization that has a lot to offer,” said Ravena Grange President Alfred Kirmss of his chapter, which has close to 100 members. The National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry is the oldest surviving agricultural organization in America and helped fight railroad monopolies, advocated for rural postal delivery service and supported the suffragette movement in earlier years. There are local Granges in Copake, East Chatham, and
Mellenville.
Lebanon Valley Historic Society documenting, preserving town history
Paul Crossman writes in the Chatham Courier about history-keeping efforts in the Town of New Lebanon, where the oldest pharmaceutical company in America, The Tilden Company, was once based in New Lebanon and a major economic and historic contributor to Columbia County. The Lebanon Valley Historical Society, it turns out, has started “The Tilden Project” to “uncover the effect of the downfall of this national corporation on the economy, landscape and people of New Lebanon and document oral histories, photographs and artifacts of the company and its progressive decline.” In addition, the historical society hopes to digitalize its entire collection and put it on CD, which will then be available to anyone in the community through the New Lebanon Library.
Pay freeze would hurt pensions of aging state work force
Rick Karlin reports in the Times Union that negotiations between Gov. Andrew Cuomo and state employee unions have not taken full account of the long-term pension effects of pay freezes being sought. “As the baby boom generation sweeps through New York’s public sector work force, more and more union members are approaching retirement,” he writes. “They are well aware that their pensions are typically calculated by averaging their three highest earning years, which usually come at the end of a public employee’s career — if only due to longevity-based raises. Because of the impact on their pensions, thousands of union members view a pay freeze as something lasting far beyond the expiration of the contract.” According to a state Civil Service Department’s 2010 report, 62 percent of the state work force is 45 or older, and 25 percent is 55 or older. Talk about past generation gaps still getting fought over…
Environmental groups urge DRBC to extend gas drilling moratorium
The fracking battle is aiming at the core of the Marcellus Shale gas drilling areas, with environmental groups from four states now urging the not to move forward with gas drilling in the river basin until thorough studies have been completed and can prove drilling is safe. Mid Hudson News Network reports that the groups expressed outrage, and delivered over 30,000 public comments, over the DRBC’s proposal to allow hydrofracking to begin in the Delaware watershed, putting an end to the existing moratorium on any watershed drilling. The groups include Delaware Riverkeeper, Environment New Jersey and Catskill Mountainkeeper.
Tags: Andrew Cuomo, Catskill Mountainkeeper, Chatham School District, Delaware River Basin Commission, Delaware Riverkeeper, fracking, gas drilling, Grange, Lebanon Valley Historical Society, pay freezes, pensions, school budgets, Taconic Hills School Board, The TIlden Company, The Tilden Project, unions
United Way chief predicts banner 2011
Raymond Pignone writes in the Daily Mail that United Way of Columbia and Greene Counties is predicting a banner year, with Executive Director Brad Poster saying the nonprofit began the year by granting funds to 37 not-for-profit agencies in its two counties. UWCG’s biggest corporate donors are Save-A-Lot in Greene County and UPS in Columbia County. All of the funds collected by UWCG are distributed only to agencies in Greene and Columbia counties, Poster said.
Troopers issue 55 tickets enforcing new move over law
Mid Hudson News Network reports about the enforcement actions of the State Police this past weekend, April 9 and 10, on the Taconic Parkway. They handed out 55 tickets in the towns of Clinton, Stanford and Milan enforcing the new Ambrose-Searles Move Over Act that requires vehicles passing emergency vehicles with their flashing lights on move as far away from them as they can. That means on the Taconic, if a State Police car is on the right shoulder of the road, passing motorists are supposed to move over to the left lane, if possible.
Six charged with illegally taking walleye
Scott Waldman of the Times Union writes that six men were charged with illegally taking walleye from the Catskill Creek, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation. “An officer saw the men ‘snagging,’ a term for dragging a large hook through the water until it catches a fish, on April 3,” Waldman reports. “Police said they found a cooler where the men were keeping the fish, mostly pregnant females averaging more than 11 pounds and 27 inches long. State Police helped with the investigation. Walleye season runs from the first Saturday in May to March 15. Those who catch the fish out of season face 15 days in jail. “The walleye are particularly at risk this time of year because the fish are spawning,” DEC Regional Director Gene Kelly said in a statement. “The Catskill Creek is one of the largest walleye breeding areas in the region and it’s imperative that we protect these vulnerable breeding fish.” The six men were from the Capitol Region.
Bankruptcy filings drop 15% in 1Q
The Albany Business Journal reports that bankruptcy filings in the Albany court district dropped 15 percent in the first quarter of this year, according to new data posted on April 11. Almost 200 fewer cases were filed when compared to the first quarter of 2010, for a total of 1,086 new cases. The total is lower than levels in 2010 and in 2009. The data is for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court division based in downtown Albany, which covers 12 counties including the Capital District and upper Hudson Valley..
Mid-Hudson bridges are very safe, says bridge chief
Mid Hudson News Network reports that the New York State Bridge Authority’s five bridges across the Hudson River are well maintained and safe, according to Executive Director Joseph Ruggiero. “All of our bridges receive what we call a rating of a five, the highest rating that can be achieved for the older bridges that the Bridge Authority owns; that’s due to our maintenance program being proactive versus reactive and the next 20 years several of our bridges will approach their 100th anniversary of service and the diligence that we apply to our maintenance is even more critical to make sure our bridges continue to provide safe and reliable service,” he said. The Authority operates the Bear Mountain, Newburgh-Beacon, Mid-Hudson, Kingston-Rhinecliff and Rip Van Winkle bridges. More than 58 million vehicles crossed the bridges in 2010.
Hundreds sign petition calling for RCS Board of Ed to listen to taxpayers
Hilary Hawke of the Ravena News-Herald reports a new twist in local school budget battles. Taxpayers in the Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk School District submitted a petition asking their school board to make budget decisions, and not leave things up to school administrators. “Keeping the increases at acceptable levels or 2% over last year’s expensed lines, with exceptions for known higher increases such as health insurance and fuel, should cover increases of goods,” the petition reads. Hawke added that its presenter later called the district’s proposal to eliminate a community swimming pool and varsity sports a “cheap shot”, and pointed out that public calls for cutting district administrative costs had been ignored.
Tug of War over Prisoners Continues
Carole Osterink of Gossips of Rivertown writes that Senator Stephen M. Saland was one of nine state senators who filed a lawsuit on Monday, April 4, against the New York Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment and the New York State Department of Corrections. “The complaint seeks to reinstate the policy of counting prisoners as residents of the communities where they are incarcerated,” she writes. The main argument seems to be that prisons use services.
Silver: Millionaire’s Tax is Not Dead
Karen DeWitt of WXXI reports that Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver says he hasn’t given up on extending the state’s tax on millionaires, even though it was not a part of the recently approved state budget. Silver pointed out that the current temporary income tax surcharge on New Yorkers making $200,000 and up does not expire until the end of the calendar year, so there’s plenty of time to revisit the issue. “It will be debated now, it will be debated in January, it will be debated next March as well, with the next budget,” said Silver in a radio interview with DeWitt.
Sound the alarm: Chatham, Ghent fire departments recruiting
Paul Crossman of the Chatham Courier writes that the Chatham and Ghent volunteer fire companies are inviting people in the community to come out, visit their local fire departments and learn what it takes to be a volunteer firefighter. The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. this Saturday. According to Chatham volunteer firefighter David Chapman, who is also a Village Board member, this is an extremely necessary event, since over the years the number of active volunteer firefighters has been steadily dwindling. “We have no one to fight fires,” he said. “I know that sounds extreme, but we had an alarm last week for a house fire … and under 20 people showed up.”
Police: Grand Prix leads cops on wild 50-mile car chase
Julia Reischel of The Watershed Post reports on the Albany man who drove a stolen Pontiac Grand Prix for a 50-mile car chase through Albany, Greene and Schoharie counties, leading police and deputies from multiple jurisdictions before finally crashing in the Schoharie County town of Broome. The attempt to stop 44-year-old Joseph V. Wagner started in the Albany County Town of Guilderland, raced through Greene County on Rte. 32, where the Greene County Sheriff’s Department blew out two of the car’s tires with spike sticks, then back through Albany County and into Schoharie County, where he ran off the roadway and flipped over. The entire chase reportedly lasted about 45 minutes
Tags: car chase, gerrymandering, Grand Prix, millionaire's tax, Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk School District, Sheldon Silver, Stephen Saland, volunteer firemen
"Reparations," by Woodstock-based artist Norm Magnusson, digitally repairs a work by Richard Prince back to its original form as published by Patrick Cariou in his 2000 book, "Yes, Rasta."
Tags: copyright, Gagosian, Patrick Cariou, Richard Prince
Senate GOP: Over $250 million restored to schools
Jimmy Vielkind of the Times Union reports that Senate Republicans left a closed-door conference on Friday afternoon, March 25, revealing details of what they say is a conceptual budget agreement reached with the Assembly and Gov. Andrew Cuomo. He says that elements of the “deal” include” restoration of between $250 million and $270 million in school aid from a proposed $1.5 billion cut proposed by Cuomo; No renewal of the income tax surcharge on New Yorkers making over $200,000 known as the “millionaire’s tax;” a living wage provision for home care workers, part of the Medicaid Redesign Team’s recommendations, and a possible cap to medical malpractice payouts for pain and suffering;criteria for the governor’s plan to cut prison beds designed to save jobs; and the probability of $130 million in capital appropriations being redirected toward regional economic development councils. “I think we’re very close,” Vielkind quotes Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver saying later in the afternoon after speaking with his own caucus. “I don’t believe we have a conceptual agreement yet.”
Columbia County population up two—just two
Adam Sichko of the Albany Business Journal interviewed Columbia County Board of Supervisors Chairman Roy Brown about the fact that the county gained only two residents over the past decade, according to the newly released U.S. Census data figures. Brown spoke about recent unemployment figures, spurred by two factory closings. “This is a beautiful rural county,” Brown said. “We just don’t have the jobs we need here,”
Village considers sewer system creation
John Mason writes in the Register-Star about recent discussions in Kinderhook about the possibility of building a municipal sewer system to help turnaround a stagnant downtown economy that is hampered by having no more space for individual septic systems. Talk was of a sewer project that would service 35 parcels in the business district with a collection system that would connect to Valatie’s existing system. Because it connects two villages, the project would be eligible for grant funding from the state Shared Municipal Services Initiative.
Town partners with school district for Lafarge PILOT study
Hilary Hawke of the Ravena News reports that the Town of Coeymans and the Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk Board of Education have agreed to share consulting costs for a study to consider entering into a PILOT (Payment in Lieu of Taxes) agreement with Lafarge Cement Company, which is planning a $300 million renovation of its plant in Ravena. “Laurence R. Farbstein, Industrial and Utility Valuation Consultants, Inc., will be paid an equal amount by each, up to a maximum of $12,500 or $25,000, for the entire project,” Hawke writes. “Farbstein will also explore the concept of Lafarge Cement funding the consultant costs in whole or in part.”
Hispanic growth rate here outpaces nation
Kenneth Crowe of the Times Union reports that the Capital Region’s Hispanic population grew nearly 80 percent, soaring past the national average over the past decade, according to 2010 Census data released on March 24. The region’s 2010 Hispanic population is 35,103, or 77.49 percent more than the 19,777 in 2000. The high percentage growth reflects in part the smaller numbers that were counted in 2000, Crowe writes. The U.S. Hispanic population reached 50.5 million in 2010, up 43 percent from 35.3 million in 2000.
Tags: budget talks, Hispanic population, LaFarge Cement, municipal sewers, PILOT, U.S. Census
2010 CENSUS: Population up in local counties, state
The Daily Freeman, and other local papers, leads with a story on the release of new 2010 cenus information, finding that the region’s population grew by 5.1 percent from 2000 to 2010, and only one local county – Delaware – had a decline in residents during that period, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Greene County had a population of 49,221, up from 48,195 in 2000, a gain of 2.1 percent; Columbia had 63,096, a gain of just two people from 63,094 in 2000; Dutchess County had 297,448, up from 280,150 in 2000, a gain of 6.2 percent; Ulster had 182,493, up from 177,749 in 2000, a gain of 2.7 percent. Delaware County lost 75 people, for a total of 47,980, similar to losses in the Mohawk Valley and Western New York. The City of Hudson lost 811 people, or almost 11 percent, for a current total of 6.713. The Town of Catskill lost 74 people for a current total of 11,775. The state’s population in 2010 was 19,378,102, a gain of 2.1 percent from 2000’s 18,976,457, the Census Bureau said. More on this info in the coming weeks…
Legislators optimistic of budget deal Friday
Jimmy Vielkind of the Times Union reports that legislative leaders in Albany emerged from a closed-door meeting with Gov. Andrew Cuomo late on Thursday, March 24 optimistic that a budget agreement could be announced Friday, March 25… a week before its April 1 due date. The millionaire’s tax seems to have disappeared from talks, along with any renewal of New York City rent stabilization laws or a property tax cap. But that’s also with Republican Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos taking the media lead, and longstanding Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver expressing some caution on pronouncements for the moment and the Governor staying mum for a day.
Report: Albany area loses 4,900 jobs
The Albany Business Journal reports that government job losses continue to choke the Capital Region’s economy, according to new state data. While area businesses continue to add jobs, albeit at a slower clip than most other areas of the state, job cuts in the public sector keeps overwhelming any of that growth. For the third month in a row, the core Capital Region had the largest job losses of the 13 metro areas in the state, when combining government and private-sector jobs. Right now, the fastest-growing job market in the state is in Kingston.
BOE looks to slim down
Francesca Olsen of the Register-Star writes that the county Board of Elections is planning to consolidate some of its 58 election districts and it will end up with around 51, according to the county’s election commissioners. “While no countywide plan has been finalized, the commissioners have a pretty good idea of what they’d like to do, and will be visiting town board meetings in the coming months to explain their plan to residents and officials,” Olsen reports. “The plan to consolidate districts will save around $32,000 annually, said Republican Commissioner Jason Nastke. That’s $3,750 for every district that’s eliminated and $1,000 for every poll site that’s eliminated. It will also give the BOE an opportunity to address accessibility issues at its poll sites.” The changes should be in place by Primary Day, September 13.
2 C-H trucks up in flames
Colin DeVries of the Daily Mail reports how an electrical fire destroyed two Central Hudson pickup trucks on March 24. He writes that Catskill Fire Chief Jonathan Dees said one of the two charred trucks had not been used for over a week and recently had its electrical system repaired, and that the fire likely originated from a short in the electrical wiring. The vehicle was eventually completely engulfed at the power company’s substation off Route 9W outside the village of Catskill. The fire from the first truck, which was a Dodge Ram, then spread to the Chevrolet pickup truck beside it.
Chatham police chief retires after 35 years
Emilia Teasdale of The Columbia Paper reports that Village Police Chief Kevin Boehme has retired after 35 years on the force. His retirement became official as of 3 p.m. on Monday March 21 even though Boehme filed the paperwork to retire last fall, said Village Clerk/Treasurer Carol Simmons. No one knows whether there will be a new chief. The department has a deputy chief, Mark Leggett, who will stay in that position. Boehme’s older brother, Paul, is the current mayor of the village and will hold that post until the first Monday in April.
Tags: budget talks, cenus figures, chief of police, job losses, truck fire
The National Weather Service has announced a Winter Storm Warning to remain in effect primarily for Greene and Ulster counties until N12 noon on Thursday, March 24. Heavy wet now with accumulations of 6 to 12 inches are expected for the Catskill Mountains and environs into Thursday morning, although impacts into more snow and poor visibility will make for dangerous travel and roads in the mountains will become snow covered and very slippery. Heavy wet snow may cause some isolated downed tree limbs and power lines resulting in power outages. Strong winds are also possible. For Columbia County and the Hudson Valley, the forecast is for two to four inches of similar wet, heavy snow, with clearing expected by noon tomorrow. School closings for tomorrow are already being announced for most area educational institutions.
Tags: Winter Storm Warning
Late season snow leads to accidents
Mid Hudson News Network reports how snow accumulated fast in the region Monday morning with slippery conditions resulting in vehicles sliding on road surfaces. Route 23 from Route 32 to Route 23B in the Town of Cairo was closed at mid-morning due to an auto crash. It has since been re-opened. The precipitation is supposed to ease up and stop later in the day.
A Big Week for Public Hearings
Carole Osterink of Gossips of Rivertown has a story up on two Columbia County public hearings this coming week. On Wednesday morning, March 23, at 9:30 a.m., the Columbia County Industrial Development Agency will be hearing views on Greenport Crossings, a project including an 80-room Comfort Suites hotel and a family entertainment center proposed for the site of the old V&O plant on Route 66 in Greenport. The developers are seeking a 100 percent property tax abatement for twenty years. Public comments can relate to the financial assistance sought by the project or the nature and location of the project. The public hearing takes place at Greenport Town Hall, at the end of Town Hall Drive, off Healy Boulevard. Then, on Thursday, March 24, at 6 p.m., the Hudson Historic Preservation Commission will hold a public hearing on the new residential building project proposed for the corner of Union and First streets by Eric Galloway’s Galvan Partners. This public hearing takes place at City Hall.
Area home sales tumble, but prices stable
The Times Union’s Business Editor Eric Anderson reports that sales of new and existing single-family houses fell 20 percent in February in and around the Capital Region, according to a new Greater Capital Association of Realtors report released March 21. But the average and median sale prices both edged higher. The median price, the point at which half the houses sold for more and half for less, rose 1 percent to $185,500, its highest point since 2008. The average price rose 2 percent to $211,437. The data come from an 11-county area including the Capital Region.
New Lebanon Town Board Action – The Robert Mittnight Jr. Court Case
Thaddeus Flint of the Eastwick Press reports that a New Lebanon man ordered to remove materials from his Route 20 yard or face fines and possible jail time came before the town board to plead his case but was told they can’t reverse court actions. In other local business, it seems recent floods have harmed an historic Shaker-built stone bridge that the town wants the nearby Shaker Museum to take the lead on fixing.
Gibson: ‘Not the time’ for U.S. action in Libya
The TImes Union reports that Rep. Chris Gibson, R-Kinderhook, released a strongly worded statement on Monday, March 21, opposing U.S. involvement in the international coalition enforcing a no-fly zone over Libya. “Now is not the time to take on new missions,” said Gibson, who will be hosting a Town Hall Meeting at the Chatham High School this Wednesday, March 23 at 6:30 p.m.
Tags: Chris Gibson, Greenport Crossings, Libya, Route 23, snow
Retired priest removed, 3 on leave
Cathy Woodruff of the Times Union reports that Bishop Howard Hubbard of the Albany Roman Catholic Diocese has placed three retired priests on administrative leave and removed another from the ministry based on allegations that they sexually abused minors. The Rev. Robert Purcell, 76, retired pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Margaretville, Delaware County, was removed from the ministry as the result of a recent abuse claim dating to 1957, 17 years before his ordination. Three other retired priests were place on leave as a result of allegations that they sexually abused a minor in Albany between 1986 and 1991. Two had remained in active ministry. They are: the Rev. Alan Jupin, 73, retired pastor of Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Schenectady, and the Rev. Donald Ophals, 77, who served as pastor at St. Francis de Sales Parish in Troy at one time. The third priest placed on leave, Louis Douglas, 82, retired from St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Albany in 1992 and is under medical care in a nursing facility. The Rev. John Bertolucci — a fourth priest accused with Jupin, Ophals and Douglas — was removed from ministry by Hubbard in 2002 based on unrelated sexual abuse allegations.
Young Republicans’ Lincoln Dinner features Gibson
Jamie Larson of the Register-Star reports on the 50th annual Abraham Lincoln Anniversary Dinner, hosted by the Columbia County Young Republicans at Kozel’s restaurant in Ghent on Saturday night, March 19, After 50 years, the first such event to feature a sitting Congressman: Chris Gibson, R-20th District. Gibson was reported saying that the congressional budget impasse for the year is near a resolution in an accompanying story.
38th annual St. Patrick’s Day parade celebrates the Emerald Isle
The Daily Mail has pieces, and photos, from Saturday parades in Greenville and Tannersville held in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day… and probably the advent of sunny skies and warm weather, as well.
Assemblywoman calls on state to distribute iodine pills within 30 miles of Indian Point
Mid Hudson News Network reports that State Assemblywoman Naomi Rivera (D-Bronx) has asked that radiation-blocking iodine pills be made available to all New Yorkers within 30 miles of the Indian Point nuclear power plants immediately. The lawmaker, who is a member of the Assembly Health Committee, called for the pills one week after the devastating earthquake, tsunami and later nuclear power plant radiation in Japan.
Local Politics Notes
Dick May runs over the recent, sparsely-attended Greene County village races, as well as the legislature’s appointment of Republican Patricia Handel to fill the seat vacated by Democrat Sean Frey in Durham. He particularly stresses what he terms “a quaint feature of election law in this State:” the requirement that in order to appear on the ballot, every candidate must “pretend to be the nominee of a political party.”
Residents protest treatment of alleged document leaker
Jamie Larson of the Register-Star also has a story up about a Saturday, March 19 protest in the center of Chatham against the detention and treatment of American serviceman Pvt. Bradley Manning for his role in the Wikileaks release of government materials. The most controversial file leaked by Manning was a gun sight video from an Apache helicopter that shows solders firing not at armed insurgents, but rather at civilians and two Reuters newsmen who were killed along with the others in the attack. From images of the event it seems a little over a dozen were in attendance.
Tags: Albany Diocese Catholic Church, Indian Point, iodine pills, Patricia Handel, priests, Pvt. Bradley Manning, Sean Frey, sex abuse, St. Patrick's Day parades, village elections, Wikileaks
Two more chains lock in plaza store slots
Chris Simonds of The Columbia Paper reports that Greenport Commons, where the Wal Mart and Lowes are, along with the new Kohls that opened last week, will be seeing two new stores: a PetSmart next to the TJ Maxx store and a Five Below youth-targeted retailer just behind the Applebee’s restaurant.
Holcim to close Catskill plant
Doron Tyler Antrim of the Daily Mail carries the story about the decision to mothball the Holcim cement plant in Catskill with union comments from the local International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, whose chairman Dennis Smith said Holcim is going “above and beyond” for workers during the transition, including offering a good severance package and paying for resume writing and computer skills classes. Greene County Legislature Chairman Wayne Speenburgh said county officials have made a special effort to help the company stay here, but noted that the closing was “inevitable” given all it put into a new, energy-efficient facility on the Mississippi River in Ste. Genevieve, Mo. Sandy Mathes, executive director of the Greene County Industrial Development Agency, added that it would take a major reconstruction of the Catskill plant, similar to what Lafarge plans for its Ravena plant, for Holcim to remain in Greene County. The plant was built in the 1960s.
Hinchey, Schumer introduce legislation to protect drinking water from hydrofracking
Mid Hudson News Network has a story about how Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-New York) and Senator Charles Schumer (D-New York) are among the cosponsors of legislation aimed at protecting drinking water from hydrofracking to mine natural gas. Hinchey was supported in the House proposal by Members Diana DeGette (D-CO), and Jared Polis (D-CO). Schumer was joined in the Senate by Senator Bob Casey (D-PA). New York lawmakers are concerned about drilling in the Marcellus Shale formation by pumping, under high pressure, chemicals to fracture the shale and release the natural gas.
Sinkhole closes roadway
The Daily Mail reports that County Route 41 in Cairo, aka Lakes Mills Rd. was closed this past Saturday, March 12, near the Cairo wastewater plant due to a sinkhole depression that had developed alongside a failing four foot culvert running beneath the roadway. Jim Young, site foreman with the Greene County Highway Department Site, said work will begin in earnest today, March 16, at 8 a.m. when the roadway is ripped up and a new four foot pipe installed, and should be completed by Friday evening, with final repaving taking place sometime in the future.
Town shuts north end of Merino for safety reasons
The Register-Star has noted that the north entrance of Mt. Merino Road at Route 9G has been closed temporarily by Greenport Highway Superintendent Mark Gaylord. A section of roadway has deteriorated as a result of reoccurring flooding and is deemed to be unsafe for vehicle traffic. Morris Associates, the town engineering firm, is determining the best way to ensure a safe roadway repair. Two sections of the roadway are being looked at in relation to repairs.
Tags: Greenport Commons, Holcim, Lafarge, mothballing, PetSmart, sinkhole
Lafarge has its own website geared to "the facts" of its "modernization plans" for its Ravena plant, from which this image is taken.
Tags: CASE, Friends of Hudson, Jeff Baker, Lafarge Modernization, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
Mercury in Portland cement is the new political battleground, with New York joining five other states to fight House Republicans on their proposed rollback of EPA regs ruling the sissue.
Tags: EPA standards, federal Environmental Protection Agency, Holcim, LaFarge Cement, mercury emissions, Rep. Fred Upton
Food costs continue to inch upwards
Wondering why those grocery bills have been so hard to keep in line with your budget? Mid-Hudson News Network reports that dairy and beverage cost hikes are offsetting slight drops elsewhere, according to the Ulster County Consumer Fraud Bureau survey for the week ending January 28.
Freehold Civil Service Air Patrol flying high
The Daily Mail has a piece about the Civil Air Patrol Vanguard Composite Squadron located in Freehold, who held a benefit dinner at the Quarry Steakhouse on Feb. 12, and how they maintain old-style air force-like training in old WW2 cockpits. Cool.
Heavy snowfall creates slippery sidewalk debate
Who should shovel sidewalks, the municipalities we pay taxes to or we the people? The idea of efficiency stretched to the reality of sharing resources to buy a good village snowblower in Kinderhook, where the inconsistencies of local walking became a real issue last week.
Selkirk man arrested on weapons charge
The Times Union has a blotter item, with photo, about a man of color pulled over for undisclosed reasons in Albany and then busted for pot, as well as a loaded 9mm handgun with hollow point rounds in the chamber of the gun and the magazine.
Gas prices stay steady in Albany area
The Albany Business Journal reports that a gallon of gas was selling for an average price of $3.345 in the Capitol Region on Feb. 11, up slightly from $3.343 a gallon, a week ago, and $3.282 a month ago, a lot more than $2.829 a gallon a year ago, but at a slower rate of rising than we’ve gotten used to this winter.
Claverack town board changes meeting days
They now get together the second Thursday of every month, rather than the first Wednesday. Why? The Register-Star doesn’t say, but it may have to do with the loss of weekly newspapers throughout the region.
Tags: Civil Air Patrol, food prices, gas prices, hollow point bullets, sidewalks, snow
Sales tax income has become a key component for county budgeting.
Tags: sales tax
Hilary Hawke of the Ravena News-Herald caught this great image of two Black Hawk helicopters in a New Baltimore field by the Thruway, published on the front page of the Daily Mail.
Tags: accident
Under Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposed budget, New York’s school districts would be hit with a $1.5 billion cut in state aid for the 2011-12 school year. However, those cuts won’t take effect unless approved by the state Legislature. LoHud.com has put up a database that shows how much each school district in the state could lose in funding under the proposed cuts. In Columbia County, the amount of aid coming from the state to Ichabod Crane School District in Kinderhook would drop from $13,067,676 to $11,327,337, a loss of $1,740,339, or 13.32% of their current aid package; in Hudson, aid would go from $20,993,870 to $19,292,336, a loss of $1,701,534 or 8.10% of what the district gets now; in Chatham, this year’s $6,581,604 in aid would be $5,877,148 for the coming year, a cut of $704,456 or 10.70%; in Germantown, the current figure of $4,854,985 would become $4,378,482, a drop of $476,503, or 9.81% in aid; in Taconic Hills, a current aid figure of $10,067,763 would become $9,637,360, a loss of $430,403 or 4.28%, while in New Lebanon, the cut would be from $3,508,895 to $3,282,705, a loss of $226,190 or 6.45%. In Greene County, the Cairo-Durham School District will see its aid drop from $14,240,653 to $12,217,446, a cut of $2,023,207, or 14.21%; Catskill will see its aid go from $16,143,409 to $14,703,411, a cut of $1,439,998 or 8.92%; in Coxsackie-Athens, aid will go from $8,448,344 to $7,261,513, a loss of $1,186,831 or 14.05% in school aid; in Greenville, the amounts go from $10,654,474 to $9,619,096, a drop of $1,035,378 or 9.72%; Hunter-Tannersville will see aid go from $2,510,875 to $1,934,974, a cut of $575,901 or 22.94%; while at Windham-Ashland-Jewett, the aid goes from $1,450,874 to $1,187,609, a cut of $263,265 or 18.15%. Other involved districts in our coverage area include Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk, where state aid goes from $16,907,275 to $14,503,308, a cut of $2,403,967 or 14.22%; and the Dutchess County district of Pine Plains, where aid shifts from $6,265,215 to $5,647,884, a cut of $617,331 or 9.85%.
Tags: state school aid cuts
Snow days put school to the test
The Daily Mail, along with most of our local papers, looks at what Catskill school superintendent Kate Farrell and others are thinking about how to make up for snow days, with all allotted days for the white stuff now expended. Watch out for the upcoming February and Easter breaks disappearing…
History happened here: The crime commission comes to town
The Register-Star’s Andrew Amelinckx has a fine look back at the days when Hudson’s Columbia Street was still named Diamond, and a major center for prostitution and other vices, focusing on one great bust and a major crime commission investigation into city corruption.
Community mobilizes to help family which lost house to fire
The Ravena News-Herald gets to the core of what keeps our small towns together in a piece about how neighbors are helping out a Coeymans Hollow family who lost their home.
Not an emergency?
The Woodstock Times’ Violet Snow has a great piece about how the state has refused to go along with a plan from officials and residents of flood-ravaged Phoenicia, in Ulster County, to clean out where two streams meet so as to protect their Main Street from reoccurring high waters. The DEC says the application was incomplete…
State jobs pacts in play
The Times Union’s Rick Karlin reports on talks, now underway behind closed doors, between Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s people and the unions representing state employees, who have been warned about major cut backs in the coming months. Expect the press releases and marches to start soon…
State prison inmate indicted for seeking $650 million in federal refunds
The Mid Hudson News Network has a little item on an inmate at the Greene Correctional Facility in Coxsackie, 47 year old Ronald Williams, being indicted on eight counts of filing false claims against the United States for payment of over $650 million in tax refunds.
It is now official the Year of the Hare.
Tags: Andrew Cuomo, Diomond Street, false tax claims, snow days, state Department of Environmental COnservation, state employee unions
A town in our coverage area has decided to take on Governor Andrew Cuomo’s proposed 2 percent property tax cap before it’s even seen the formal light of day by passing a formal resolution against it. The Ravena News reports this week that the entire board for the Town of Coeymans, in southern Albany County, unanimously passed a resolution stating the town’s opposition against the proposal a few weeks. One of the main objections they stated is that “towns are dependent on real property taxes to fund town services,” according to the story from reporter Hilary Hawke. “Unlike counties and cities, towns can’t raise revenues through sales taxes, income tax, gross receipt taxes or occupancy taxes.” The resolution further points out that while expenses such as health care, pension contributions and transportation, water and wastewater are rising, the town’s revenues are not keeping pace and simply capping property taxes will not reduce those expenses or the public’s expectation of governmental services. The resolution also states that the town has lowered property taxes through program cuts, staff and salary reductions, and appeals to the governor and state legislature to fund or eliminate state mandates and reform the real property tax system.
Tags: Andrew Cuomo, home rule, mandate relief, property tax cap
Rep. Chris Gibson, R-Kinderhook
Tags: appointments, Chris Gibson
The National Weather Service has posted a Wind Chill Warning through 9 a.m. for our area. Monday’s NWS forecast says it will be mostly sunny and cold, with a high near 8. Wind chill values as low as -23. Monday Night: A chance of snow, mainly after 1am. Cloudy, with a low around 5. Wind chill values as low as -6. South wind between 3 and 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40 percent. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible.
Town meetings tonight
COLUMBIA COUNTY Columbia County Board of Supervisors’ Economic Development/Planning Committee meeting – 6 p.m. at 401 State St., Hudson.
TOWN OF GERMANTOWN Monthly meeting at 7 p.m. at Germantown Town Hall, 50 Palatine Park Road, Germantown. 518-537-6687.
CITY OF HUDSON Hudson Common Council Police Committee meeting at 6 p.m. at City Hall; Hudson Common Council Fire Committee meeting at 6:45 p.m. at City Hall.
HUDSON SCHOOL BOARD Hudson City School District Board of Education Meeting at 7 p.m. at Junior High School cafeteria.
Astronomical bodies
TIDES Hudson: High, 7:10 p.m./Low, 12:41 p.m.
SUNRISE/SUNSET 7:17 a.m./4:58 p.m.
MOONRISE/MOONSET 11:18 p.m./9:36 a.m.
Birthdays
JANUARY 24 Oral Roberts, Warren Zevon, and John Belushi.
Live on WGXC Monday
*6-8 A.M.: WGXC Morning Show Hosted by Casson Kennedy, and Mark Lacoy. A mix of news headlines, audio features, and conversation. This morning there will be updates about the storm, possible closings, and more.
6:15 A.M.: WGXC Monday Morning Sports Report
6:30 A.M.: WGXC Farm Report
6:45 A.M.: WGXC Business News
7 A.M.: WGXC Newsroom Headlines
7:15 A.M.: Paul Smart calls in with live news update.
7:30 A.M.: Obama in Schenectady; Gibson on national TV
8 A.M.: Brian Dewan, a Catskill musician and inventor, is featured in The New Yorker this week, and WGXC plays clips of his Dewanatron instrument he and his cousin Leon made, and other Dewan performances.
9 A.M.: WGXC Newsroom Headlines
10 A.M.: Lafarge legislative hearing at Ravena High from last Thursday.
Tags: town meetings
Anne-Sylvaine Chassany and Francois de Beaupuy in Bloomberg report Lafarge SA, “Europe’s most indebted cement maker” and international owner of the Ravena cement plant, may sell its gypsum business, “four people familiar with the situation said.”
“Firms including TPG Capital, Carlyle Group LP and PAI Partners are preparing for a sale this year and may consider bids for all or parts of the operations, said the people, who requested anonymity as Lafarge hasn’t made a decision. A sale may not happen soon because the U.S. unit is still unprofitable and Lafarge may wait for a recovery, the people said. The unit may fetch at least 450 million euros ($605 million) or even top 1 billion euros, provided profit recovers, analysts said. Chief Executive Officer Bruno Lafont, who ran the unit until 2003, has pledged to step up disposals to cut debt. The cement maker aims to retain investment-grade credit ratings after borrowing to make a $15 billion acquisition in North Africa in early 2008, just before a construction slump in Europe and the U.S. set in. ‘The gypsum business is less and less at the core of the group’s strategy, which wants to focus on cement and emerging markets,’ Rafic El Haddad, an analyst at Natixis in Paris, said in an interview. ‘It looks like a business for private equity firms. Industrial players can’t buy it for antitrust reasons.’”
Here in the states, Lafarge has launched a new website for its continental operations, claiming it is, “North America’s largest building material supplier.”
Tags: Lafarge
The attempt to brand Albany, Schenectady, Saratoga, and Rensselaer counties, all just north of Columbia and Greene counties, as “Tech Valley” may be self-fulfilling, according to the 2010 Tech Valley Patent Indices Annual Report from Hoffman Warnick, an intellectual property law firm based in Albany. The report says the number of patents issued from the four counties keeps increasing. Spencer Warnick, a partner at Hoffman Warnick, said, “the most impressive numbers to us are the Capital Region without GE indices. Both the quarterly average and total number of issued patents have continued to rise over the nine years that we have done the index. These are prime indicators that the region continues to get stronger technically and that the region is clearly no longer just IBM and GE. We are technologically diversified and are stronger for it.”
Tags: business, Tech Valley
Brian Nearing in the Albany Times-Union reports that Texas Republican congressman John Carter is pushing a little-known congressional maneuver to block rules by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that would impose mercury limits for the first time ever on cement kilns, including Ravena’s Lafarge plant. Science has long proved mercury is a potent neurotoxin. Earlier in the month, a preliminary study by the Harvard School of Public Health of about 185 people who live in the vicinity of the Lafarge plant found that one adult in 10 and one child in 20 had mercury in their blood at levels elevated enough to warrant a visit to the doctor.
Tags: John Carter, Lafarge, mercury, mercury levels
NY Assemblyman Steven McLaughlin.
Schodack resident Ken Stokum.
Area resident Mary Driscoll.
Ravena Mayor John Bruno.
Elyse Kunz from CASE.
Ward Stone.
Susan Falzon of Friends of Hudson.
John Reagan, environmental manager of Lafarge.
From WGXC Town Recorder Sam Sebren:
About 70 people attended the final legislative hearing for public comments hosted by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation on the Lafarge cement company’s modernization proposal Thursday, Jan. 20 at the Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk High School auditorium in Ravena. A higher percentage of the crowd seemed to be in support of Lafarge, including local resident Mary Driscoll, politicians such as new 108th District Assemblyman Steven McLaughlin, Ravena Village Mayor John Bruno, as well as a representative who spoke for Congressman Paul Tonko, and a spokeswoman from the Albany County Regional Chamber of Commerce. They primarily supported the plant because of the community’s need for jobs. Several other citizens and environmental advocate groups included Elyse Kunz from Community Advocates for Safe Emissions, Susan Falzon of Friends of Hudson, and Haley Mauskapf of Scenic Hudson raised concerns over how clean the proposed modernizations will be, and whether they will be monitored.
Sebren took the photos included in the WGXC Newsroom and made an audio recording of the entire meeting, so you can hear for yourself what everyone said. Click here to listen to an mp3 recording, or copy and paste the url below into your computer’s media player.
http://www.wgxc.org/media/uploaded_files/2011/01/Lafargelegislativehearing_RavenaHigh_WGXC_SamSebren_012011.mp3
Tags: business, CASE, Friends of Hudson, John Bruno, Lafarge, Mary Driscoll, modernization, Paul Tonko, Scenic Hudson, Steve McLaughlin, Steven McLaughlin
The National Weather Service has posted a Winter Weather Advisory with 2-4″ of snow forecast after midnight, with temperatures dropping to five degrees Friday night, and only rising into the teens Saturday.
Town meetings tonight
COLUMBIA LAND CONSERVANCY Six-course dinner to benefit Columbia Land Conservancy farm and agricultural programs with full menu at www.local111.com. Reservations at 672-7801 or info@local111.com at 6:30 p.m. at Local 111, 111 Main Street, Philmont.
Weather
SNOW Ending by morning then turning colder.
Astronomical bodies
TIDES Hudson: High, 3:46 p.m./Low, 10:47 p.m.
SUNRISE/SUNSET 7:20 a.m./4:55 p.m.
MOONRISE/MOONSET 7:33 p.m./8:09 a.m.
Birthdays
JANUARY 21 Wolfman Jack, Jeff Koons, and Cat Power.
Live on WGXC Friday
*6-8 A.M.: WGXC Morning Show Hosted by Casson Kennedy, and Mark Lacoy. A mix of news headlines, audio features, and conversation. This morning there will be updates about the storm, possible closings, and more.
6:30 A.M.: WGXC Farm Report
7 A.M.: WGXC Newsroom Headlines
7:15 A.M.: Paul Smart calls in with live news update.
7:30: Audio recordings from Thursday night’s legislative hearing in Ravena about the Lafarge cement plant modernization. Seven sound clips from last night’s speakers.
*2-3 P.M.: Que Cocinare Hoy? Mariel Fiore and Antonio Flores-Lobos host an hour en espanol.
Tags: Columbia Land Conservancy, snow, Winter Weather Advisory
The National Weather Service has posted a Hazardous Weather Outlook with snow forecast late Thursday/early Friday and then frigid temperatures with wind chills below zero forecast this weekend.
Snow totals
From the National Weather Service, snowfall totals from the latest storm:
COLUMBIA COUNTY
KINDERHOOK 3.0 1138 AM 1/19 TRAINED SPOTTER
LIVINGSTON 3.0 1110 PM 1/18 WEATHERNET6
TAGHKANIC 2.5 730 AM 1/19 WEATHERNET6
NORTH CHATHAM 2.0 538 PM 1/18 WEATHERNET6
CHATHAM CENTER 2.0 504 PM 1/18 WEATHERNET6
ANCRAMDALE 1.5 538 PM 1/18 WEATHERNET6
CLAVERACK 0.5 1146 AM 1/19 WEATHERNET6
GREENE COUNTY
WINDHAM 6.0 754 AM 1/19 WINDHAM MTN SKI AREA
HUNTER 5.0 500 PM 1/18 WTEN
EAST JEWETT 4.3 630 AM 1/19 CO-OP OBSERVER
DURHAM 4.0 413 PM 1/18 WEATHERNET6
SE NEW BALTIMORE 3.3 700 AM 1/19 COCORAHS
KISKATOM 3.0 558 PM 1/18 WEATHERNET6
CAIRO 3.0 700 AM 1/19 CO-OP OBSERVER
CATSKILL 2.0 850 PM 1/18 WEATHERNET6
Town meetings tonight
LAFARGE LEGISLATIVE HEARING A formal legislative hearing on proposed changes at the Lafarge cement plant in Ravena, billed by the company as an modernization but seen by opponents as an expansion, will take place at the Ravena High School at 6 p.m.
CITY OF HUDSON Hudson Community Development and Planning Agency board meeting at noon at City Hall.
Weather
SNOW Snow starts late Thursday then Friday temperatures drop.
Astronomical bodies
TIDES Hudson: High, 2:59 a.m./Low, 10:03 p.m.
SUNRISE/SUNSET 7:19 a.m./4:53 p.m.
MOONRISE/MOONSET 6:16 p.m./7:35 a.m.
Birthdays
JANUARY 20 Juan Garcia Esquivel, Federico Fellini, and David Lynch.
Live on WGXC Thursday
*6-8 A.M.: WGXC Morning Show Hosted by Casson Kennedy, and Mark Lacoy. A mix of news headlines, audio features, and conversation. This morning there will be updates about the storm, possible closings, and more.
6:30 A.M.: WGXC Farm Report
7 A.M.: WGXC Newsroom Headlines
7:15 A.M.: Paul Smart calls in with live news update.
7:30: Story and audio about votes in Washington and Albany.
9 A.M.: WGXC Newsroom Headlines with Richard Roth, Alan Skerrett, Joan Geitz, Christina Malisoff, Sam Sebren, and/or Nancy Rothman.
9:15 A.M.: WGXC Farm Report
9:30-10 A.M.: Sam Sebren and Ellen Thurston preview weekend events in Greene and Columbia counties.
10 A.M.: “Tell It Like It Is” with Richard Roth, Alan Skerrett, Joan Geitz, Christina Malisoff, Sam Sebren, and/or Nancy Rothman.
NOON-2 P.M.: Crossroads Jazz show hosted by Alan Skerrett.
Tags: Hudson Community Development and Planning Agency, Lafarge, snow
Lafarge Cement's plans for changes to its Ravena plant culminate, for now, with a legislative hearing at the Ravena High School on THursday, January 20 at 6:00 PM.
For a record of the public hearing Lafarge’s plans from December 8, click here, or copy and paste the following url into your computer’s media player:
http://www.wgxc.org/media/uploaded_files/2010/12/LafargeEnvironmentalImpactPublicMtg_120810.mp3
For audio of a hearing on Phase 1 of a state Department of Health study on the plant and its plans, which took place on Thursday, December 9, 2010, click here, or copy and paste the following url into your computer’s media player:
http://archive.free103point9.org/2010/12/RavenaDOHhearing_WGXC_12090.mp3
For a record of the Jan. 6 Harvard Pubnlic Health College study presentation on Lafarge and its surrounding community, click here, or paste the following url into your computer’s media player:
http://www.wgxc.org/media/uploaded_files/2011/01/Harvardhealthprelimstudy_RavenaHigh_010611.mp3
Finally, for an earlier story on how all this is playing out in the local media, including us, check our earlier story on the subject here.
Tags: CASE, EPA, expansion plans, Friends of Hudson, LaFarge Cement, legislatuve hearing
On The Air
WGXC is on 90.7-FM now, at full-power, 3300 watts. We cover all parts of Greene County except parts of the mountaintop, and all of Columbia County except for a bit of Western Columbia County south of Germantown. WGXC also covers a large part of southern Albany County. We have heard reports that the signal is getting from Delaware County to Great Barrington, from Selkirk to Saugerties, from Pine Plains to the I-90 extension.
Local weather/webcams
National Weather Service, Albany
Hawthorne Valley Farm Weather Page
When the computer is turned on, the Hawthorne Valley Farm Weather Page reports weather information in Harlemville. Check dates and times to see whether reports are live or from when the computer was turned off.
Greene County webcams:
Catskill webcam: Thomas Cole House Claude Mirror
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